REVIEW: YOUTH IN REVOLT
MICHAEL Cera - the star of Juno and Superbad - has carved out a considerable career playing awkward but loveable teenage dweebs.
And he doesn't stray too far from the formula in YOUTH IN REVOLT (15), a sharp if messy and unfocused anti-adult comedy based on the series of novels by C. D. Payne.
Cera plays Nick Twisp, a horny teen dealing with his parents' divorce, his ridiculous name and his desire for France-loving beauty Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday).
He devises a plan to be reunited with his aloof new love by getting chucked out of his mum's home. But going bad isn't as easy as it sounds, and Nick is forced to concoct a new persona - the moustachioed rebel Francois - to get the job done.
Not only does the double role help Cera spread his wings a bit, but it also lands him with all of the sharpest lines as Francois suggests arson, car theft, narcotics and sex roads trips to his bemused other half.
There's plenty of surreal energy and absurd set pieces, but behind all the scathing wit and star cameos, it's Cera's vulnerability and soft-hearted charm that win you over. - JUSTIN MATLOCK
|
|
|
|
|
|